New Here!

[JonasN515]

Hey all. I have never owned a fish tank but have been reading about how it may relax me. I have high blood pressure, high anxiety, and severe depression and all my psychologists and psychiatrists have recommended this for me. In their offices, they have beautiful tanks so I was thinking about getting one for my house and maybe bedroom? I was thinking a nice 20-40 gallon one for my house (living room) and a little 10 gallon for my bedroom. Anyone got any recommendations on starter kits or where should I go about buying each of these? I think it makes sense to start with a 10 gallon one first so I don't get overwhelmed (Anxiety is already high every day). Then slowly graduate to getting a second tank. Thanks for any advice and happy to be on the forum guys.

Jonas

 

[Fray]

Hi, and Welcome!
My tanks are just lovely to sit and watch, I got rid of my TV long ago and the tanks have taken it's place!
Tho there is a bit of worry involved, I worry about each and every one of my fish. But in saying that, it is so relaxing to see all the fish doing their thing.
I know people here have recommended a larger tank over a smaller one, easier to keep the water parameters in line.
But someone with more experience will chime in soon.
But I found research is the key, research everything! And then research again....
And be aware.... once you start, it's addictive!
Good luck

 

[jaylach]

About everything you need to know about starting a tank you will find here. As an initial suggestion you may want to do a search for tropical fish and see what you like. Deciding on fish is the first step and then you set up the tank to fit the fish.

 

[JonasN515]

Thanks so much for the responses guys. I have been slowly doing research as it eases my mind and makes me excited to become a fish dad! I love the way Zebra Danio's look and in the research I have been doing online, they are a hardy fish and can sustain a beginners mess ups? Not to downgrade any kind of fish! Would I be able to cycle with these fish in there or should I play it safe and just wait to cycle fishless? Also, would like recommendations on a good starter kit or should I just buy everything separately? Thinking now a 20 gallon would be a good start for the Zebras. How many would be a good start for me? Thank you again for any responses!

 

[Slaphppy7]

Welcome to TFF

Fishless cycling is easy to do, it just requires a bit of planning, and lots of patience...much less stressful on the fish (and the fishkeeper) than fish-in cycling...read all about cycling your tank here: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

The starter kits usually include sub-par equipment, I'd build your tanks from the ground-up...this way, you can customize to your needs...a 20G long tank is a great starter size

Find out the hardness of your tap water; this will dictate which fish are best for you to keep...your municipal water supplier should be able to provide this info for you, free of charge

Good luck, and welcome to the hobby

 

[ClownLurch]

Zebra Danio are very very active fish. They naturally live in streams with a flow which means they have to be fast n strong to swim against the current when required. Put them into a stationary water environment and this speed and strength means they’re zipping about at crazy speeds.
A long tank is required to give em room to roam.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Zebra Danio are very very active fish. They naturally live in streams with a flow which means they have to be fast n strong to swim against the current when required. Put them into a stationary water environment and this speed and strength means they’re zipping about at crazy speeds.
A long tank is required to give em room to roam.

They also tend to be overbred and diseased...

 

[ClownLurch]

I hadn’t had any for years until I inherited some long fin zebras n leopards when an old mate moved to the other end of the country. After a few months I had to give em away to my LFS as they were huge and far too active to be tank mates for my Medakas.
The fellers in the LFS couldn’t believe how big they were.

 

[The603]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Fray]

Harlequin rasboras are lovely fish, and you can't go past corydoras!
Bronze cories are very forgiving, and love being part of a school.
But as Slaphappy7 said, find out your water hardness and go from there.
Lots of fun ahead of you....

 

[JonasN515]

My water hardness is 154 ppm... What does this mean?

 

[TNG]

My water hardness is 154 ppm... What does this mean?

154 ppm is about 8.6 dGH (degree of General Hardness). I’d say that moderately hard water. If you know the pH then many members here would suggest the fish that’ll suit your water.

Starting an aquarium is a slow process if we want to get it right. If it’s rushed, it could become a very stressful experience which has put many people off fish keeping. All the best.

 

[Essjay]

I would call that the top end of soft. It's not hard enough for hard water fish, and though it's too hard for some soft water fish, there are lots more soft water fish which will be fine.


When you research fish, Seriously Fish is just about the best resource out there. Their profiles give a hardness range for each species. Sometimes it's in ppm, sometime it's in dH. You now have your hardness in both units.
The profiles on Seriously Fish also give things such as minimum tank size; temperature range; pH range; whether the fish needs slow or fast moving water; what they eat: whether they should be kept as a single, a pair or a group; compatibility issues, and so on.

If you intend to keep cories, look at Corydoras Word; for all catfish, Planet Catfish; for loaches, Loaches Online.




Remember that not all websites are equal. Those I've mentioned are known to be written by experts. Others, and many YouTube videos, are by people with little or no real knowledge.

 

[emeraldking]

Hi Jonas,
And welcome to TFF...
Yes, a fishtank can make someone to relax. So, I truly hope that it will help you as well...